Truth Lies Within
by UniqueArtist
Summary: AU, Qrow Branwen finally telling Ruby the truth. Originally was going to be a one-shot, but I will be continuing this. :)
1. She

**UPDATE: See the end for details.**

* * *

"Uncle Qrow?" The small voice croaked, Ruby suddenly feeling uneasy.

"Hey, kid...how are you feeling?" The man responded looking down at the girl who just woke up in the infirmary bed. He was the only one there while the rest of her family were in Patch. They were in Mistral.

"I'm...okay, I think…" She started, rubbing her face with her hand. Her head was pounding and her world was momentarily spinning. She took one look around the room and realized where she was. "Where is everyone else? Jaune? Nora and Ren?" Ruby asked, worry spilling out of her mouth.

"Your friends are okay, too. Well, kind of.." Qrow shook his head. "Nevermind that. You just had a nasty run in with….people.." Qrow sighed. He knew Salem was after them. The image of the woman with white hair, demonic eyes, and black lines across her skin suddenly appeared in his mind. Rage boiled his blood. The demon who had screwed his life over for years now.

As much as Qrow wished that Ruby had just stayed at home in Patch, he knew there was no way he could change anything, now. He was going to protect her. "...Well, let's just say, you're lucky to have me around!" He said with a grin. A small smile formed on her lips. It could have gone unnoticeable if it weren't for the gaze he had on her face. She looked just like her...

Qrow's eyes shot away from the girl, only to stare at his feet. He clenched his fists, feeling them begin to sweat. _It's now or never, Qrow. Remnant is becoming more and more dangerous as we speak...and you might never have the chance..._

"Qrow…..Thank you...for being there for me.." Ruby coughed, interrupting his thoughts. "I would be dead if you weren't there.."

Her words wrapped around him like a snake squeezing its prey. His breath came to a halt and his lips parted, as if to say something. Just the mere thought of death taking Ruby away made his heart rattle.

After failing to protect Summer, he would never allow such a thing to happen to Ruby. He **will** be there for her. He was there for her when she and Yang were attacked in the forest many years ago, he was there for Ruby and her new team for the past few weeks, and he is there for her now. He may have failed Summer, but he will be damned if he failed her daughter.

"Ruby..." Qrow's voice wavered. She looked back up at him. Wide silver eyes and a small smile like Summer's, accompanied with a pointed nose and stern eyebrows much like… himself.

"Yes?" Ruby asked, after Qrow hadn't continued with what he was going to say. He, instead, took upon gazing softy at the girl's face. _The second-best scythe wielder with a red cape!_ He thought, smiling to himself. He was proud of her...but he also feared her, at times.

"I….there's something….." He inhaled a sharp breath. "What happened, two days ago...when you almost…..it made me realize.." Qrow exhaled that sharp breath. He couldn't possibly bear the thought. His words failed to form properly in his brain, and did an even worse job as escaping his lips. His seemingly steel-strong confidence that Ruby grew up watching, was deteriorating. Or did he ever have any to begin with?

"Qroowww…." Ruby said softly, turning her head a bit suspiciously. Her silver eyes never left him, however. "..What's this about?" His eyes did not tear away from her hand that was lying beside her on the bed. He couldn't bring himself to look at her any longer. _Her brow, her ears, her jaw, her chin.._

Everything, a perfect blend of himself and the woman he once loved. Ruby was the most beautiful child on the planet to him... _but perhaps his opinion may be a bit bias.._

"It made me realize I'm a piece of shit." Qrow admitted, defeated. His confidence was most definitely in the trash at that point.

"But? You just saved my life, **again**. How could you say that about yourself? Why would you- we...I.." Ruby started her argument off strong, only to end up at a loss for words. The more she thought about his statement, the less she understood him. The less she understood him, the less she knew what to say. The uncle she grew to love so much is standing before her looking more broken than ever, and she doesn't know what to do. He was one of the strongest people she knew.

"No, Rubes...It's because I'm a liar." He said. _Ruby Rose._ Like her mother. No Xiao Long or anything else...just... _Rose._

"You.. what, why?" She raised her eyebrows. What could he possibly lie about? She already knew he drank a lot. He can't possibly think _that's_ what it is? She already knew about his skirt incident when he once attended Beacon. So wha-

"I'm not your uncle, Ruby. I'm sorry." He said, his voice low and sharp. He sounded so serious that Ruby almost couldn't laugh. She did, however.

"Ha! Oh man.. Qrow, what the heck? That's what this is about?! I mean, duh! Of course you're not. I already know that!" Ruby exclaimed. Qrow shut his eyes and balled his fists even tighter. She didn't understand it. "You're not my uncle, you're really Yang's uncle because you're her mom's twin. Hey, I don't care! You're my family whether you like it or not!" She grinned once more.

"You're my daughter." His words sliced through the air like a knife going through soft butter. His eyes were still closed when he said these words, so he didn't see the way her grin dropped in a matter of seconds.

She thought she had heard wrong. But she didn't want to just respond with " _What?"_ because that's just a stupid response: She had heard **exactly** what he said. No stutter, no mumble. It was clear as day. She heard the words, and knew what they meant. No tricks or games.

The pause felt like it lasted hours.

Qrow finally found the courage to open his eyes, just to look at her for the first time since she officially became his daughter to her knowledge. He was met with downcast silver eyes. She didn't know what to say, either.

The man pulled up a chair next to her bed and sat on it backwards, his chest leaning against the chair's back support. He needed to sit before he felt like falling over.

"How….." This was the only word Ruby managed to say.

"I...Um…" Qrow's mind spun. He wasn't sure if he was ready to talk about Summer. _Just do it. She needs to know, Qrow. She's old enough. Tell her what you guys had. Tell her what happened. Tell her the tru-_ "I don't think you're ready for _that_ talk, kid!" He joked, letting a false chuckle escape his lips. _Damn it._ Ruby glared up at him. For the first time in all his life, he saw her eyes actually look like **his**. Though they weren't red, they were sharp and serious, almost painful. A look he only ever found in his reflection. Hell, he even saw this look in Raven. But never in Summer.

"How." She only repeated. She didn't mean for it to come out as angry as it did. In fact, she wanted it to sound more like a question. But something in her took over... It demanded.

"Alright...Okay, well, Your mother...and I.. we kind of.." Qrow trailed off for a few moments. He stared at Ruby's hand again, praying that she would get tired of the subject and change it. Of course, that didn't happen. He put himself in this situation. "We…..loved each other…"

"But... What about…. you're lying…"

"Ruby….. I'm not." His eyes met with hers. She looked more desperate now. He wished more than anything that he _was_ lying. That this was all a sick prank and that Taiyang was really her father.

"Is this just a joke?" Her voice strained. "I thought she loved dad..." The girl used a hand to wipe her face even though no tears were spilling. "I mean, uh… him...um… Yang's ...dad...i guess?"

A soft laugh escaped Qrow's lips. "You can still keep calling him your dad, kid. He is, anyway. He raised you and cared for you. He watched over you."

"But…" Ruby's soft voice no longer trembled. She looked up at him with a small smile. "So did you…"

"N-not like him."

"Probably...um...I don't understand..how you and my mom _loved_ each other but then she went to dad? And why did you leave me with him? Why didn't you raise me? Why didn't you say something? Why…?..gah." Questions spilled from Ruby's mouth, her hand reaching up to her head to rub at her temple.

"Are you in pain?" Qrow asks, genuinely concerned. He rested a hand on Ruby's head to try and soothe her, only for him to pull away. He wasn't sure what to do with himself.

"Yeah, my headache is just throbbing.. A little. No big deal..." She paused. "..Answer me, please?" Ruby pleaded. More than anything, she wanted to know more about her mother.

"Your mother and I kind of liked each other since..well, way before you were even born. When we were 17 and attended Beacon. Of course, she liked me at first but I was too dense to realize it for some time. But when I finally did.. It was pretty great." Qrow smiled to himself. The memories came to him as if it all happened yesterday, but he did not want to get too far into details, otherwise he might just need to take up drinking again. _He had stopped for a few days, ever since Ruby was attacked. But that's only because the infirmary didn't provide alcohol.. But hey, a record!_

"Anyway... When we all graduated Beacon, Tai and Raven got together. Naturally, a life was made." Qrow let out a small smile when Ruby made a faux gag face. "That was Yang. Summer and I... we went on missions together. All kinds of missions, really." he paused. "We weren't ready to settle down or anything. We were adventurous."

"But what about dad...I mean, uh .. _Taiyang?_ " Ruby said awkwardly. She felt extremely strange saying his real name. She had never called him anything aside from _dad._ 'Taiyang' felt so foreign to her.

"Ah, I'm getting there, I'm getting there.." He said, raising a hand. He poked her shoulder, jokingly. "Your mother and I came back and one day… I had to go." He frowned, not knowing how else to put it. He cursed his sober brain for letting his anxiety and emotions screw with his words.

"You had to go?" She was confused.

"Um.. I had this mission... It was really serious, actually. When Ozpin gave me the details, he originally wanted me _and_ your mother to go... together." Qrow shook his head.

"Wait, Ozpin?"

"That's a story for another time." He smiled.

"So .. did you leave mom?" Ruby raised her eyebrows. Qrow didn't understand what this expression meant. What she upset? Confused?

"I did, yes... " He sighed. "The mission was so bad.. I didn't even want her to go with me. It was too dangerous. I would rather risk losing her, than to risk her life like _that_. I told her to just... forget about me. To go be happy in life and forget everything about me. I had to save the fucking world." He spat.

"Why didn't you just decline the mission? Why couldn't you just stay with mom?" Ruby's voice went back to sounding nearly desperate. He could slowly feel her _probably_ blaming him for Summer's death or his lies or their shitty lives. He ruined everything.

"It's a serious mission, Ruby... one that I am still on to this very day." _Salem._

Silence. Ruby simply stared at him, her eyes were watery but no tears escaped.

"I left. As it turns out, my sister left Taiyang, too. She went on her own mission. Heh, the Branwen twins… we don't even have to be near each other to be in sync, huh?" Qrow chuckled. Ruby's face went back to resembling his... Or Raven's? Whatever was that sharp and serious look she had... he knew it wasn't Summer's.

 _It was a bad joke. Joking about leaving her mother? About Yang's mother bailing out on them? Great job, Qrow. You're an idiot._

"I mean," he cleared his voice, trying to go back to being serious. He was never serious with Ruby for such a long period of time, so this conversation felt alien to him. "I went around thinking I could save the world… while your mother went... saving Taiyang's family. Little Yang was barely a 1 year old. One thing led to another, and your mom and Taiyang were kind of a thing. They were both lonely, I get it.." Qrow shrugged off the jealousy and ignored Ruby's disgusted face again.

"I came back, one day... It was for her birthday the next year, actually.." The man smiled. He looked back at Ruby's hand, reliving the memory. He still couldn't bring himself to look into Ruby's eyes for too long.

"Aw.."

"She punched me in the face."

"Go mom!"

"Hey!"

"Heh, sorry." Ruby blushed. "You had it coming.."

"I know, I know... Anyway!" He shrugged it off. "It was her birthday, Taiyang and Yang were in Vale, shopping for her while she slept in that morning. I didn't know about that but I showed up at the house anyway. We went inside and had some coffee. Finally speaking, for the first time in so long... We forgot we missed each other. One thing lead to another, I guess…" Qrow smiled sheepishly, it now being his turn to blush.

"Gross!"

"I'm sorry." He apologized, honestly.

"Unc-.. um…...Qrow?" Ruby asked, seriously.

"Yes?"

"Does dad know about you being my dad?" Though that question may sound odd to a stranger, it felt more like a dagger to Qrow.

"No." He lied. Ruby glared. "Not yet, anyway…"

With everything he just told her, he truly didn't want to overwhelm Ruby with the knowledge that Taiyang knew all along. He knew Ruby wasn't his child, and didn't tell her all this time. That was for another day, perhaps.

"Will this change us? Will things be different?" She spoke up.

"Do you want them to?" He doesn't know why, but Qrow felt nervous. What if she wanted everything to be different?

"N-not really.. "

"Good. I like how things are right now." He smiled and ruffled her hair. For the first time, she sent him a genuine smile. Qrow wanted to cry and he couldn't understand why. _Maybe because he wasn't drinking away his emotions right now?_

"Am I gonna have to change my last name?!" She gasped in horror. With a small laugh, Qrow shook his head. He was happy to finally see her joking. She brought up one last question, "So..Yang is just..my cousin?"

"Nope." He responded simply.

"Nope?"

"Nope. Well, technically, yes. But she will always be your older sister, no matter what anyone says."

"I love you." Was the last thing Ruby said.

"I love you too, kid.." Qrow responded with a smile. His eyes trailed back down to Ruby's hand, unable to look at her face again. Concerned red eyes met with black lines running along Ruby's wrist.

* * *

 **About the update : ****So I posted this up last night at like 2AM. I come back this morning and realize all the silly errors I made..haha! I really shouldn't post so late.**

 **Anyway, I made minimal changes to the story itself. The biggest thing I changed what the fact that Qrow lied to Ruby about Taiyang not knowing the truth. I like it better that way, for some reason. It fits my personal view on Summer's personality a bit better...I don't think she would be one to _lie_ about a pregnancy/child like that to Tai. And with Qrow, he probably would have hid it, but not for long.**

 **About the ending...Hehehe.**

 **~Thank you for reading!~**


	2. Rose

**Initially, I was not going to continue with this story. I was hesitant and unsure. BUT... You should all thank LadyBritish and show her lots of love because she inspired me and helped me to continue this story :) She and I worked out a pretty interesting plot together, and I hope you guys love it!**

* * *

"You know, I thought you grew out of the whole marker tattoo phase already… No more art supplies for you." Qrow attempts to joke, despite his shaky voice. He was aggressively ignoring the small voice in the back of his mind, telling him where he once saw this mark.

"What are you talking about?" Ruby asked, her eyebrows furrowed. Qrow thought that this was a bit of an uncharacteristic reply, because Ruby usually had no trouble following the flow of their conversations. He was holding her wrist, this should have been obvious.

She squeezed her eyes shut in pain. At this point, her head was pounding. It was only getting worse by the minute.

"This," An anxiety-ridden chuckle escaped Qrow's lips. He licked his thumb and attempted to wipe away the black marking on her wrist. Not only did this disprove his 'marker-tattoo' theory, but it also made the concerned voice in the back of his head much louder.

"Wh-..what is i-it?" Ruby forced, trying to stay awake through the pain.

"Ruby," He looked at her with a new kind of seriousness in his eyes, "Are you in pain?"

"M-my head.. It's so bad, I almost c-can't _see_ an...ythin… I feel, like …" She pulled her hand away from Qrow, both of her palms now pressed against her temples. "IT won' st-op!" She exclaimed, shaking her head.

"What's going on? Ruby?" An alarmed Qrow asks, jumping out of his chair. He was stuck between wanting to hold her, and wanting to call the doctor.

Luckily for him, he was good at making quick, logical decisions and decided to run out and shout for a doctor.

Unlucky for him, that means he did not hold Ruby, and was not there to stop her while she pulled out her IVs and knocked over the stand.

A doctor and two nurses rushed in, followed by a pale Qrow. Ruby was crying about the pain, and how suddenly she couldn't see.

"She was okay just five minutes ago.." Qrow said, watching the doctors work as he stood at the doorway. He wasn't sure if his sentence even came out above a whisper. His heart was pounding, his stomach felt sick, and his blood felt hot.

His eyes went wide and his lips were slightly parted in a visible frown.

 _Head pain, vision loss... the mark. This can't be happening._

Qrow backed away from the scene. Then he ran.

 _Running away from your personal problems. As always. You finally had the balls to tell her who you are.. To tell her the truth. And now you are going to lose her. Your own damn daughter._

* * *

He had seen it happen to _her._

He had seen it all before. There was no avoiding it. This was like watching an old rerun of a horrible movie that only made you upset.

This is a threat to any and all silver-eyed warriors. The only way to stop it, is to continue his mission, or for him to…. " _No_ ," he refuses to do that.

Especially to his own flesh and blood.

He will absolutely **not** lose Ruby the way he lost Summer.

"Heh," He chuckled, "guess I'm not meant to have any form of love in my life." He grumbles before finishing his drink.

A glass cup that was once full of hot, sweet, light brown liquid is now empty. Even the ice that melted long ago was gone. The taste of the alcohol still tingling in the back of his throat; his breath like fumes, burning and crawling up his nose. He slams the glass on the unfamiliar wooden surface, mindlessly landing it on top of a picture. On top of _the_ familiar face of his late silver-eyed warrior. His Rose.

Qrow couldn't bear to see her face. He knew she would be disappointed in him.

 _Old Memories._

His tears had previously stained the picture of something that once was.

Times of innocence, adventure, happiness, and blissful ignorance. Oh how he'd wish he could go back to those times. The times where his sister was _trying_ to be a better person; Taiyang had finally made her smile, his good-nature influencing Raven. A time where he himself would crack jokes, cause mayhem, and mess around with everyone on his team. A time when the beautiful woman, clad in a white hood, would exhale a happy sigh and hold Qrow back by his cape to stop him from getting into trouble.

Alcohol had never played a role in his life at that time. It had no reason to.

He had never even considered the idea of drowning away his emotions. At the time, he had plenty of emotions and actually enjoyed feeling them for a while.

But then, Summer got sick after she returned from a failed mission. A mission that only lasted 12 days, but affected her for the rest of her life. Affected _him._

 _Affected everyone._

It started out with a headache. Then fainting spells. Temporary vision loss. Slight behavioral changes.

This all happened so slowly, it could have gone unnoticed to many eyes… but not Qrow. Qrow knew his Rose, and he felt something awful. Something very, very wrong. It creeped the back of his mind like a shadow in the darkness. You can't focus on it, but you feel something is there. It is terrifying, but uncertain.

Months went on like this.

Then, a black line appeared on her ankle. She lost her memory for a few hours that day.

Qrow had contacted everyone he knew that could possibly give him an answer as to what was happening to her, _his rose_. Unfortunately, he remained in the dark for another month.

At this point, Qrow was desperate for answers. He temporarily left his Rose with his trusted friend and old teammate, Taiyang.

He was on a mission for answers. He was led to one source who may possibly have an answer: his old headmaster, Ozpin. He returned home to Summer a few months later, but that would not last very long.

Ozpin had information for him.

He told Qrow a tale of a deep, dark corruption that targets silver-eyed warriors. Because they were the biggest threat to the Mistress, those born with silver eyes were often her prey. The warrior's hidden power and vessel becoming a feast to the darkness, keeping the prey alive as they controlled them to destroy everything important to them. The corruption would eventually turn the silver-eyed warriors into exactly the opposite of who they were, while making sure that they felt every bit the physical and emotional pain. This was the worst way the warriors could die: Not only do they become _pawns,_ but they are also tortured and forced into becoming the evil in which they hated.

"It is a slow process," Ozpin had said, "Based off past corruptions, I could say that it may take about 5 years before she will-" Ozpin paused for a moment, before clearing his throat- "I recommend you make your choice as _soon_ as possible. Take her with you, if you can. Remind her of who she is. It may help her fight the corruption."

Qrow set out on the mission, leaving a very unhappy Summer Rose behind. Ozpin was crazy to think that Qrow would bring her along.

"I _have_ to do this, Summer… You don't understand!" They argued. Like an old married couple, they stood in their living room and threw their arms in the air as they shouted. The woman knew it was serious because he actually called her by her first name.

She doesn't understand that Qrow would rather risk his happiness than lose her to ... _this_.

"But what about _me_?!" She pleaded. Summer did not want to be without her betrothed. She loved him. She wanted to be with him. Marry him. Raise a family. She had finally let someone past the walls she put up, and he was leaving. "I will be alone…" Summer whispered.

"This **is** for you," Qrow would sigh, "You'll never be alone. Taiyang is here for us. For you, like he always is…. And his little girl needs someone to look after her. Will you please stay with him, to be safe?" He did not want her to be alone, especially while sick. Her recently developed symptom involved rather _dangerous_ sleepwalking.

During their last moments together, the air felt heavy. The two of them felt suffocated, despite being outside under nature's beautiful, open sky.

"When will I see you next? When are you coming home to me?"

"I… I'm not sure, Summer." The truth finally spilled, "I admit, I'm a bit scared. Probably a wreck. But hey... there's nothing I _can't_ do, right? 'Cause I'm pretty great… and I will do anything for you."

Qrow walked with her until they both stopped in front of Taiyang's cabin home.

He planted a kiss upon her lips.

"I love you." She whispered, her eyes still closed from the kiss even after they pulled away.

"Goodbye, Rose." He responded painfully.

When she opened her eyes, the man Summer Rose loved was no longer in front of her. He was gone. Away and away… flying high over the trees. She watched until she could no longer see his crow form.

The woman sighed sadly, turned around, and knocked on the wooden door four times.

"Summer?" Taiyang asked while peeling off childish stickers from his white t-shirt. "This is a surprise. What are you doing here?"

"..Qrow...he left me…"

* * *

"The only way to save her is to kill the one who controls the corruption. If that fails…... _She_ must not live." Ozpin explained, regretfully. "She is too powerful to be used as a pawn. Do you understand your mission, Qrow?"

"Yes."

"Mind your time. If you do not succeed within four and a half years… before the transformation is complete…. "

"I understand, Ozpin." Qrow's face was dark and stoic, but his heart was anxiety-ridden, scared, and broken all at once. He refused to give up on his Rose. He **will** fight for her until the day he dies. He will kill the host. "If you must…. Please… make sure she is happy. Please be sure she will not feel any pain."

"Of course she will be happy," Ozpin smiled. "for she would die doing the one thing she loves most. Being a huntress."

"The impossible mission."

* * *

That was 19 years ago. Just before Ruby's time.

By the time Qrow finished rummaging through his dark memories, he was fast asleep; his head leaning on the wooden table while he sat on a chair in a lonely Mistralian inn. His face was pressed up to the picture he always stared at in times of trouble; Team STRQ.

Four hours later, Qrow had woken to a staff member nudging his shoulder slightly.

"Sir? It's the end of my shift, I can not leave you here. If you have a room, I can help you get there…" A female waitress said.

"Nn-ooo, I'ms just okay, with out room, Have to get to Rose" Qrow slurred, both half conscious and half drunk.

"Err… do you need help, sir?"

"MY dauu…ghtr.. " He said lazily, "dying… I need to ..where.. ?"

"I… I'm sorry? ..You should probably leave before my manager comes, sir.. I don't want you to get into trouble."

"Trouble," Qrow grumbled, shaking his head in an attempt to return his consciousness. "Always finds me, it does."

The waitress smiled. Qrow stood up and wobbled his way out of the inn, shrugging off her offers for taxis or any other form of help.

By the time he completed the walk to the hospital, he had gained more control over himself. He was used to living and doing things while drunk; it is being _sleepy_ that kills him.

"Ruby Rose." He said to the woman at the front desk. She recognized the man with red eyes who reeked of alcohol.

"Same room. Go on, now. She should be sleeping. Don't disturb her… or anyone else."

He staggered to the elevator and made it up to the third floor.

Ruby was not alone when he opened the door. He found a mess of orange hair resting on Ruby's right side of the bed; the side where Qrow had been sitting on about 6 hours earlier, when he told her the truth.

He knew this girl as Nora; she was also admitted to the hospital for getting hurt while attempting to protect Ruby against one of Salem's huntsmen.

 _Dumb move,_ Qrow thought to himself, with a chuckle. His palm reached up to the healing gash on his own ribs.

"Hey, kid. You should go back to your room. Get sleep." Qrow stated. The redhead lifted her head to reveal teary eyes. She nodded and stood up.

"Oh. You cry?" Qrow's remark did not mean to sound sarcastic- he was just drunk. At the same time, his question _did_ feel relevant to him: He only ever saw her as a happy and hyper person.

"Sorry." She muttered, before scattering away.

He did not move from his position, standing at the foot of Ruby's bed. He looked down at the girl lying there, helpless. A stark contrast to her behavior earlier; in pain, kicking, screaming, and crying. He had never seen her freak out like that.

She was passed out, now. It still pained him to see her this way, whether asleep or not.

Qrow walked up towards the side of the bed and planted a kiss on his daughter's forehead, for the very first time in their lives. He held her hand in his and stroked the small line by her wrist. He sat down on the chair and rested his forehead against her hand in defeat.

 _How long has she been affected? Why are the symptoms so sudden?_

 _She had never even met Salem. How was this possible?_

He needed Ozpin, now more than ever.

* * *

17 years ago, a younger Qrow stood in front of a familiar wooden door. It was rather early in the morning, and he was already slightly tipsy. Doing this was too hard for him. He couldn't face her sober.

Four knocks. His ring left a small dent on the door. Did he pound _that_ hard? Did he sound too frantic? _What if no one heard the door? Maybe knocking a few more times, a bit harder…._

His anxiety was soothed when his Summer Rose opened the door. Her face instantly calming him, like his favorite drug.

"Heyl- Oh! Uh.. you.." Her small voice said.

"Summer Rose…" Qrow breathed. When did he forget basic language? "I.. um..? ….Happy Birthday."

She did not respond for a while. She simply stared back with a sad look in her eyes. It almost looked as though she didn't even remember him. He could tell.

After a minute, her face snapped up- as if something inside her brain has clicked.

"Oh! Thank you so much! Qrow thank you," She squeaked excitedly, grabbing his hand and pulling him inside the home. She slammed the door shut behind him, and jumped on top of him, wrapping both arms and legs around his torso. He held her so that she would not fall.

The short woman was now at eye-level with him, clinging to his body in a tight embrace. It was surprising how he was able to stay upright and keep his balance, considering he had been drinking. Perhaps he was getting used to it.

"I didn't expect this reaction, wow…." He laughed. "I missed you, Rose."

The two shared smiles and stared softly into each others' eyes. Until Summer's face suddenly went cold, her smile now a straight line on her face. Confused, Qrow's mouth now mirrored hers. He let go of her body, and she hopped off of him.

Before he even had the opportunity to blink, or even see it coming, a fist came flying towards his face at full speed. He was on the ground by now.

"That's for leaving me!" She shouted.

He instantly got back up on his feet and towered over her.

"I left because I love you!"

"Well I hate you now!" Summer responded. The two glared at each other.

"I doubt it." He chuckled confidently. He was right. The rest of that morning's events would forever be burned into Qrow's mind… with the rest of his _good_ memories with Summer, of course.


	3. Hell

"Here we go," Qrow heaved a giggling Ruby and placed her in a seat - she was so tiny for her age, that it was like moving a rag doll. The two of them, along with the remaining members of team JNPR, were boarding an airship back to Patch. It was much too dangerous for them to continue, even if Ruby _claimed_ to be feeling better after her time at the hospital.

"Uncle Qrow! ..I mean... Qrow," Ruby quickly corrected herself, "I have legs, you know! I can walk just fine."

"True…..but you _are_ a klutz." He joked. The pain, concern, and familiarity of the situation was being masked by lighthearted jokes and nonchalant shrugs. He couldn't face these emotions head-on at the moment.

"Are you sure we should not be continuing our mission to Haven?" Ren asked, taking a seat to Nora's left. He understood Ruby and Qrow returning to Patch, but the rest of the team were willing to continue.

"Yeah! I feel just fine!" Nora added, despite her hip injury. She was still healing from stepping in front of Ruby right before she was going to be attacked.

"Absolutely not. You all nearly got yourselves killed. If I didn't show up to save the day, you guys would all be dead meat to that jackass- what was his name?.. Tyrian? That guy." Qrow argued, turning around to face the youthful former students in training with a stern expression.

"Maybe he's right, guys." Jaune shrugged. He sided with Qrow's point, the many anxieties growing heavy in his mind. Ever since he lost Pyrrha, he blames anything and everything on himself. Even if they had nothing to do with him, he felt like he was somehow able to prevent it. _If I were a better leader..a better fighter. None of this would have happened. Pyrrha would still be here…_

Jaune took the empty seat next to Nora and Ruby, after Qrow sat by himself in a seat a bit further away from the teenagers. He never wanted to be too close or too far away. Like Jaune, Qrow blamed himself for any misfortune brought on his loved ones. He would simply watch from afar.

After a moment of his teammates looking at him in confusion, Jaune decided to explain why he thought Qrow was right. "I'm not as skilled as either of you guys in a fight. Without Ruby, I don't think we would get very far-"

"What are you talking about?" Ren interrupted, shaking his head while looking over at Jaune.

"I'm just not leader material..." Jaune mumbled.

"Hey!" Shouted the redhead in between them. Jaune and Ren looked down at the small person in the middle: an offended-looking Nora. "You are **not** allowed to say those kinds of things about yourself, mister!" She pointed her index finger at Jaune's chest.

"She's right. I can not imagine a better leader for team JNPR than yourself." Ren added.

"I think you're a great leader, Jaune. Plus, we will always have your back!" Ruby grinned, the short girl sitting to his right. This earned a smile from the somber boy as he recalled her words of advice from their first semester at Beacon. This was not the first and only time she had cheered him up about this topic before.

The group approached the yard of the Xiao Long home just before sunset. Orange and ren peeked through the clouds, tinting the home to a much warmer color than it normally is.

Before knocking on the door, Qrow stopped, turned around, and faced the group of teenagers. He resembled a coach speaking with his team.

"Guys. Just one thing…" He directed most of his attention towards team JNPR, making eye contact. "Taiyang doesn't know that we're coming back. Nor does he know that I'm bringing along three extra kids with us," The man chuckled and pointed a finger at the three, "So be prepared. You might expect some anger or bitterness. That's just Tai. I promise he's not a bad guy at all. We've all just been… going through a lot."

"Understood." Ren was the first to respond, rather quickly at that. They could all empathize with Taiyang, honestly.

"Ruby. You alright?" Qrow now pointed his finger at Ruby, who had her hand pressed against her temple. She only responded to him with a nod, shutting her eyes. His red eyes expressed concern, but he decided against saying anything else.

The older man turned around and knocked on the wooden door four times.

The excited barks of a corgi could be heard on the other side of the door before it opened, revealing Taiyang. He blinked for a moment, taking in the sight in front of him. Four disheveled looking kids and a Qrow Branwen stood before him.

Despite his hard stare at the group of five, Taiyang stepped aside and opened the door wider, making room for everyone to enter. He stared, mostly at Qrow, as he and the teenagers entered the home. When the blond haired man noticed Ruby, his tight grip on the doorknob loosened and his eyes softened. Taiyang didn't realize how tense he was.

Ruby opened her eyes again and looked around the room. She started to back away into a corner.

"Ruby, what's the matter?" Taiyang asked, shutting the door.

"What is that?!" She exclaimed. The group looked down to realize that she was motioning towards the excited corgi, barking and attempting to jump up on Ruby. It even stood on it's hind legs and pawed at her thighs in order to get her attention.

This only caused the younger girl to panic even more, a small shriek escaping her lips once she realized that she backed herself up against a wall. "Get it away!" Ruby cried. She couldn't escape the small creature's attempts for attention.

Taiyang quickly took action by picking up the dog and keeping it steady in his arms. Ruby scurried over to Qrow and hid behind him.

"Ruby….since when were you ever afraid of Zwei?" Taiyang asked. He sounded more concerned than confused. This is not the Ruby he remembered. "What's going on here?" The blond man looked back up at Qrow.

Nora turned to face Ren, concern in her face as clear as day.

"Ren..." she whispered, "How did she forget her own dog? She even had him with her at Beacon…"

The quiet teen had no response for her; he was just as confused as Nora.

Qrow's red eyes did not hide his emotions like they usually did. Instead, Taiyang saw something in his eyes he only saw once, 19 years ago: Fear.

"Tai…" He spoke.

"... Excuse us." Taiyang said as he walked past everyone, grabbed Qrow by the arm, and dragged him into the kitchen. This left RNJR alone in the livingroom.

Nora decided to take Ruby's hand and bring her over to the sofa and sit next to her.

"R-Ruby….are you okay?" The usually energetic girl has a much more serious look to her face. "What happened… back there… that thing with Zwei?"

"I," Ruby started, but quickly moved her hand up to rub her eyes, "My head hurt… and then I just…. Zwei?"

She sounded confused, for a moment. Jaune and Ren shared a concerned glance with each other before taking a seat on the sofa with the only space that was left. Ren sat by Nora's side and Jaune sat by Ruby's side. The blonde teen placed a hand on her shoulder, unsure of what to say. He wanted to help, but he just couldn't find the right words.

"Oh!" Ruby exclaimed, suddenly destroying the dreadful air that surrounded them. "Zwei… That sounds so familiar. I think I know what you're talking about."

"Wait.. What?" Jaune, at this point, was completely lost.

"Ruby… you've lost your memory." Nora pointed out while looking into her silver eyes. There was slight panic in her voice, and Ren caught onto it.

"Most likely from the head trauma three days ago. It's okay." Ren dismissed any concerns that the three had.

"Y-yeah… right." Ruby nodded in agreement. "My head has been all wonky lately."

" _YOU DID WHAT?!"_

The four teens sat awkwardly on the couch as they realized that Taiyang was screaming at Qrow. They were, without a doubt, arguing.

* * *

"I had to, Tai. I don't know what came over me… but she deserved to know the truth. She was going to find out someday." Qrow admitted. The two adults went back to whispering so that the kids wouldn't hear.

"Were you drunk or something?" The angry brawler asked.

"Actually, n-"

"-No, stupid question. Of course you were-" Taiyang interrupted Qrow.

"TAI!" Qrow shouted, interrupting him back. "Will you at least let me speak?! Listen, I even told Ruby that you didn't know the truth. I told her this so that you wouldn't have to explain to her that you knew all along. Last thing I want is for her to think you're a liar..."

"Oh, so _now_ you've decided to help me? Thanks." Taiyang rolled his eyes.

"Taiyang."

"You let her run off to Haven without telling me.. The _entire_ journey. It'd been months, Qrow. **Months**. I had no idea where she was for months. You could have at least told me once where she was. You could have at least told me you had followed her. Told me that she was okay..."

"I know. I know, I apologize."

"Not only is my daughter suffering from the loss of her arm and the fall of Beacon, but my other daughter is losing her memory." Taiyang spat. Qrow felt a twinge in his heart from the venom in Taiyang's words, but he didn't blame him. Taiyang did **raise** Ruby. Ruby was practically his daughter.

He had no right to be upset with Taiyang for feeling like Ruby was his daughter. In fact, Qrow should be happy that someone took on the role that he was unable to take.

"It's not just that, Tai…"

"What, then?"

"It's happening again." Qrow muttered.

The two fathers went silent for a moment. Taiyang stared hard at Qrow's face, while Qrow stared out the window. It was now dark outside.

Qrow sighed before pulling out a chair and sitting on the other side of the dining table. Taiyang followed, sitting opposite from the dark haired man. They both knew it was serious.

"Salem got to her…" Taiyang whispered, pain clear in his voice.

"Actually," Qrow hesitated, "No. She didn't. I have no idea how this is happening to Ruby…"

Before anything more could be said, Taiyang abruptly stood up, sending his chair backwards. The man stormed off and made his way upstairs, leaving Qrow by himself in the kitchen. Qrow simply sighed, and rested his forehead against his hand.

 _I need a drink. There's some right there in the fridge. I'd just need to- No. You don't need a drink. That's why nobody could take you seriously. Damn it. I really want that drink, though…_

"Qrow…" Ruby's small voice interrupted his thoughts. When he looked up, he saw Ruby peeking her head in through the kitchen doorway. He nodded his head, which was all Ruby needed for her to make her way into the kitchen and start rummaging through cabinets. Qrow raised an eyebrow curiously. "I'm just trying to fetch some cups of water for my friends…"

Ren entered the kitchen as Ruby spoke, ready to help her with her task. Qrow watched sadly, knowing well why Ruby was struggling.

"I just… Where is everything?" Ruby stopped searching and scratched her head.

"Ruby… this is your house. You truly don't remember?" Ren asked, his head tilting curiously to the side.

"No. She doesn't." Qrow answered. The man stood up from his seated position and made his way to a cupboard on the other side of the kitchen; a spot where Ruby hadn't thought to look. He pulled out six cups.

"Here," Qrow said while handing Ruby a cup, "Fill that up with water and give it to your dad- Taiyang. I think he could use your company right now."

"Okay." Ruby nodded. She completed the actions and ran upstairs. This left Ren and Qrow in the kitchen alone.

Jaune and Nora walked into the kitchen after hearing Ruby run up the stairs.

"Hey what's going on?" Jaune asked hesitantly.

"I have to speak to you three about something. It's important." The dark haired man stated while filling up his own glass. The teens just watched as he casually leaned against a counter and poured alcohol from his flask, into the glass cup.

"It's about Ruby, isn't it?" Nora said slowly.

"First thing's first," Qrow took a gulp from his cup, followed by a sigh of relief, "Finally. Anyway, you guys should probably know that Ruby's biological dad _isn't_ Taiyang."

"He's… not?" Jaune furrowed his eyebrows. This didn't make sense to him; he knew Yang and Ruby were sisters because of Taiyang. _If they didn't share a father either, then that means…_

"No. I'm her biological dad, actually." Qrow said, taking a few more sips from his cup. "Long story short, Tai raised her because I'm an idiot who would make a horrible dad. Also, I was constantly on extremely dangerous missions. So Taiyang is pretty much Ruby's dad.. Just not biologically."

"Okay, understood. But.. why does that matter to us, then?" Ren asked. He didn't understand the point of all this.

"Well.. I told Ruby the news three days ago, and I just told Taiyang 15 minutes ago. I'm letting you guys know so that you aren't confused by what ever … _drama_ … you may come across." Qrow said, his voice hinting sarcasm upon the word 'drama.'

"Could you address the real issue here?" Nora interrupted, her voice more serious than usual. She has become a bit more serious over the past few weeks. "Her head… and how she's just forgetting stuff. Why? How is this happening?" This suddenly started to sound like an interrogation.

"I agree with Nora." Jaune added.

"Hey, cool it short stuff." Qrow defended, placing his hand on Nora's head. Ren casually pushed Qrow's hand away from Nora, mostly for the older man's safety. Ren knew from experience that Nora hated being teased about her height.

"Here's the thing… Ruby's just .. _sick_." He said, using the term 'sick,' for lack of a better word. That's when the questions came:

"What do you mean?"

"Is she going to be okay?

"What kind of sickness?"

"How did she get it?

"Is she going to be okay?

"Will she get her memory back?

"Is it temporary?"

"Is she going to be okay?"

"QUIET!" Qrow shouted at the trio. His ears were ringing and his head was throbbing. These exact questions run through his mind every minute of every day. They've been haunting him ever since he noticed Ruby's first symptom.

 _Is she going to be okay? ...No, probably not._

"It's…" Tired red eyes looked at the quiet teens once more. He sighed. "It's a bit serious. Her mother had this, too...before she _passed away.._. Something to do with silver eyes…" Qrow trailed off, now staring at the ground. How was he supposed to tell them lightly that there's a possibility they were to lose yet _another_ dear friend?

Nora slowly started backing away, accidentally bumping into Ren in the process.

"Short one?" Qrow raised a suspicious eyebrow at the redhead. "You alright?"

Nora shook her head vigorously.

* * *

"...Dad?" Ruby's small voice could be heard from the doorway. Taiyang sat on his bed, his head in his hands with his elbows propped up on his knees. He stared at the floor, thinking hard as though the patterns would change and the inevitable won't happen. He couldn't lose Ruby.

When he heard her voice, his head shot up to find her shyly peeking at him through her bangs. She held a glass of water in her hand.

"Hey jellybean. What's up?" Taiyang faked a smile in her direction.

Ruby made her way towards her father with slow footsteps. When she reached him, she extended her arm to hand him his cup of water.

"Thanks." Taiyang smiled, gratefully taking the cup and drinking just a sip. Ruby sat down next to him.

"Why were you..arguing with uncle Qrow?" Her wide silver eyes looked at him, slight panic written all over them.

"It's complicated..."

"Is it because he told you the truth, too?" Her head tilted sidewards curiously.

"Yeah, something like that." Taiyang sighed. "I, just…" He faced the ground again and squeezed his eyes shut.

"Daddy?" Ruby's concerned voice spoke as she softly rested a hand on his shoulder.

"Rubes.." Taiyang exhaled, immediately turning towards her and enveloping her in a tight hug. Though this took Ruby by surprise at first, she hugged him back. "You'll always be my little girl. You know that, right?"

"Yes dad." Ruby whispered against his shoulder, a small smile on her face.

"I can't lose you…" The blond croaked, memories of Summer Rose's death flashing in his mind.

"Don't be silly… I love Qrow, but I love you too. You're my dad. I don't care if it's biological or not," Ruby let a giggle escape her lips, "You can't lose me!"

"I…. Yeah." Taiyang hesitated. Did Ruby know she was sick?

 _Was she going to be okay?_

The two pulled away from the hug, and Taiyang held one of her hands.

"Rubes… Do you remember the day we got Zwei?" The father tried.

"Umm.. Yeah, we went to a pet store I think."

He sighed. _Wrong._

"No, we rescued him."

"Oh yeah! I remember. We found him in the rain when we went to Vale on our way to the movies, but found Zwei instead. We snuck him into the movie theatre!" The young girl giggled. Taiyang smiled at her recollection. It was strange, at first she wouldn't remember but then it eventually came back to her?

"What about your friends and professors from Beacon? Their names? You've never properly introduced me to them, anyway…"

"Oh that's right! Aside from Yang, I have my friends Blake and Weiss on my team! They're pretty amazing, and Weiss is a faunus but I don't care. We all love and accept her just fine. Oh and there's team JNPR! They're all downstairs right now." Ruby grinned, excited to talk about the positive memories she shared from school. Taiyang only returned a small smile.

"There was this food right… it was so great! But we did get in trouble with Professor...Pro….umm.. She-" Ruby stopped abruptly, mid-sentence. Her eyebrows furrowed and she pulled her hands away from Taiyang.

"Rubes?"

She didn't respond, she only placed her hands at her temples. The father could hear her mumbling something about her head hurting, but it was nearly inaudible.

"Do the names Glynda Goodwitch or Professor Ozpin ring any bells?" Taiyang asked, watching Ruby as she stood up from the bed and began pacing the room.

"I...yeah. They do. I remember, sometimes.. I guess? Like I know her face but not the details. I.." Ruby groaned, hiding her face in her hands. She looked extremely frustrated.

"Hey." Taiyang stood up and made his way towards Ruby, pulling her hands away from her face. "It's okay. You've been through a lot of stress."

"W-why can't I remember things? What's happening to me?" Ruby cried.

Taiyang frowned, and pulled her in for yet another hug. This time, it was more comforting to her.

"It's going to be okay, Rubes. It's going to be okay.." He whispered into her hair as he kissed the top of Ruby's head. He squeezed his eyes shut once more.

 _It won't be okay._

* * *

Had there not been candles, the room would be entirely black. The walls, windows, decor, everything- darkness.

And, for some strange reason, there was a lot of moisture in the air. It felt chilling, maybe even borderline terrifying. Cinder did not care, for Salem was on _her_ side.

Cinder made her way towards the long, dark table in the center of the room. It glows violet, like the dust it was made out of. On the far end of it sat Salem, the mistress of darkness. She was like the insidious goddess of the night; Queen of evil. All things that are grim, she intensifies it.

"Ah, my young Cinder." Her smooth voice echoed throughout the room. She motioned toward a chair next to her. "Sit."

With a nod, Cinder slowly and silently took the seat next to Salem.

"Cinder, I have _excellent_ news for you, my dear." Her piercing red eyes stared deep into Cinder's.

Cinder wanted to nod. She wanted to just nod and let her move on with the news, but she knew it was not that easy. Salem always wanted something.

"Do you not wish to hear my news, dear?" Her calculated grin told Cinder exactly what Salem wanted.

"I-" Cinder hesitated. Her voice was barely audible, only faint whispers and air escaping her lips. "Yhh-h..ess" She extentuated the 's', hoping that Salem would understand.

"I can not hear you." Was all she said.

Cold. Cold, cruel, and calculating. That's what she was.

"I d-..do. Y..ess, S-ssalem." Cinder forced as much as she could. Salem was cruel, for she knew just how to torture even the people closest to her. She always made sure she had something they wanted in order to keep them in their places.

In this case, Salem had the ability to return Cinder's voice.

However, she simply chooses to tease her with the possibility of talking again. She gives Cinder hope, only to rip it away again. It was no different from dangling 100 Lien in front of a hungry, needy, homeless person on the streets of Mistral and laughing as they failed to reach for it.

"Very well then." The white-haired being laughed. "You will be avenged, my dear."

Cinder raised a curious eyebrow.

"Ruby Rose. The silver-eyed child who nearly took you down." A maniacal grin spread across Salem's ghostly pale face, creating expression lines that even extended into her black and red facial veins. "She has been ... _infected_."

Salem's smile turns into a chuckle.

Cinder responds with a sly grin.


End file.
